A sexual abuse survivor who was the subject of multiple child porn videos has recently won restitution from one of the men in possession of these videos with the help of Savage Law Firm’s Attorney Carol Hepburn.
Now an adult under 40, the survivor, known as “Sarah” in court documents, has been awarded $4,200 by U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis.
Background on the Case
The convict in this case, a 26-year-old man from Staten Island, was arrested by federal authorities last year as part of “Operation Caireen,” a Homeland Security Investigation that focused on child porn file sharing. That operation led to more than 70 arrests.
Although there was no evidence that the man had produced child pornography, federal authorities did find that he downloaded illicit images of children from file sharing sites, including four videos of Sarah, and allowed others to download these images and videos from his computer.
Explaining the impacts that these videos and the sexual abuse have had on Sarah, Carol Hepburn stated:
For this particular victim, the effects of this crime upon her and all of the crimes for all of the defendants who are trafficking in her images has injured her so badly that she is not employable. She’s afraid to go out… She’s not capable of going out of the house without some trusted friend with her…The restitution literally puts food on her table.
While the man could have faced up to 10 years in prison for his crimes, he was ultimately sentenced to time served in prison and 10 years of federal probation, as well as the payment of restitution to Sarah.
To check out the court documents for this case, click here.
Restitution Wins Can Be Hollow Victories for Child Porn Survivors
To date, 95 different cases have led to Sarah being awarded about $393,000 in restitution from various courts. While Carol Hepburn has estimated that Sarah’s overall loss due to her victimization is at least $2.7 million (for a lifetime of counseling and lost wages), to date, Sarah has only received about $22,000 in payments – less than 6 percent of the total awards she is owed.
As Hepburn has explained, often, the survivors of child porn who win restitution awards have difficulty collecting the damages they are owed. This is due, in part, to the facts that some people can only pay restitution in increments and that others are illegal immigrants who end up being deported for their crimes.
Despite this difficulty, however, pursuing justice and financial recovery for these sexual abuse survivors is admirable and just. It also sends a powerful message to anyone out there who downloads, views or shares such illicit images of children.
The Savage Law Firm is proud of Carol Hepburn’s victory and ongoing advocacy for the subjects of child porn and the survivors of any type of child sex abuse.
Contact a Portland Child Sex Abuse Lawyer at the Savage Law Firm
At the Savage Law Firm, our Portland child sex abuse attorneys understand that no amount of money can ever make up for childhood sexual abuse. However, we also know that helping abuse survivors obtain compensation from their abusers and the people who possess images of them can be crucial to helping them obtain:
- A sense of justice
- The financial support they need if they are unable to work due to their psychological issues
- The counseling and other long-term treatments they may need to deal with the damage caused by their abuse.
If you or a loved one has been a subject of child pornography, we encourage you to learn more about your rights and how we can help you by attending a free, no obligations initial consult.
Call us at 503-766-5337 (in Portland) or at 503-766-5337 (in Seattle). You can also email us using the form on this page. We represent clients in Oregon and Washington from our offices in Portland and Seattle.